Floating spline seat



Jan. 23, 1968 .1. H BRENNEMAN 3,34,641

FLOATING SPLINE SEAT riled Oct. 12, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JohnH. Brennemon ATTOR NEY5 Jan. 23, 1968 J. H. BRENNEMAN 33 FLOATINGSPLINE] SEAT Filed Oct. 12, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet -||o INVENTOR John H.Brennemon ATTORNEYS Jan. 23, 1968 J. H. BRENNEMAN FLOATING SPLINE SEAT 3Sheets-$heet Filed Oct INVENTOR. JOHN HBRENNEMAN BY 5 DOW, MQMQ ATTORNEYUnited States Patent Ofilice 3,364,641 Patented Jan. 23, 1968 3,364,641FLOATING SPLINE SEAT John H. Brenneman, 173 Mansgrove Road, Princeton,NJ. 08540 Continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 513,652, Nov. 26,1965. This application Oct. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 598,560

14 Claims. (Cl. 52396) This application is a continuation-in-part of myapplication Ser. No. 513,652, filed Nov. 26, 1965, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 174,554, filed Feb. 20,1962. Both applications are abandoned.

This invention relates to improved components for use in the buildingconstruction systems disclosed and claimed in my copending applications837,495, filed Sept. 1, 1959 and 164,043, filed Jan. 3, 1962, bothabandoned, and more specifically relates to a novel seat assembly for aspline connector.

The systems disclosed in my earlier applications and in US. Patent No.3,214,802 provide a joint connection for wooden, synthetic,prefabricated, and other structural members built around a spline typeconnector which may be forced into cooperating slots in adjacentstructural members to align them, and in some instances, to hold them inabutting relationship. In employing beams, posts, panels and otherstructural components, alignment difiiculties are sometimes encountered.This problem is greatest with poured concrete floors and wall wherelocations and dimensions of spline receiving slots are difiicult tocontrol.

It is the major object of the present invention to provide a novelfloating seat assembly which may be employed with the spline connectorsto provide relative limited movement of the abutting surfaces toaccommodate thermal expansion and contraction of the structural members,and also to reduce the difficulties of alignment where one of thestructural members is a body of concrete.

Another object is to provide a novel spline and seat connecting jointwherein the seat is capable of limited movement in a plane perpendicularto the longitudinal axis of the joint. Thus, the seat may move laterallyof the longitudinal axis, or in a direction perpendicular to both thedirection of the lateral movement and the longitudinal axis, or in bothdirections.

In one embodiment, the floating seat assembly includes a rigidchannel-like housing of metal or plastic in which a slotted seat memberfor receiving the spline is mounted for a limited side-to-side movement.The slotted seat member and walls of the slot in the structural membermay be provided with cooperating surfaces to prevent movement of theseat member from the recess. In applications where a vertical wall issupported by a body of concrete, the recess and seat member may bearranged to permit insertion into and removal of the seat member fromthe slot in the structural member, and if desired, also permit limitedmovement in the direction of the depth of the slot.

Other objects and the novel features of the present invention willbecome fully apparent from the claims, and from the description as itproceeds in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse sectional view of an improved buildingconstruction joint connection employing a floating spline seat memberconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, showing the spline seat memberof the floating seat assembly displaced laterally from its centeredposition;

FIGURE 3 shows a further embodiment of the floating seat assemblyprovided by the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but illustrating an alternatearrangement for retaining the floating seat assembly housing in astructural member;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 and illustrates a furtherarrangement provided for retaining the assembly housing in a structuralmember;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5, illustrating a still furtherhousing-retaining arrangement;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, illustrating an embodiment ofthe floating seat assembly which is particularly useful in conjunctionwith poured concrete construction;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 of a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIGURE 9 is a transverse sectional view of an improved buildingconstruction joint connection wherein the seat member is mounted forlimited displacement in two coordinate directions defining a plane thatis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the joint;

FIGURE 10 is a view of the joint of FIGURE 9 showing the seat memberdisplaced both laterally and in a direction to compress springssupporting the seat member with arrows indicating the extent ofdisplacement from the neutral position illustrated in FIGURE 9; and

FIGURE 11 is a similar view of a further embodiment showing a seatsubassembly that can be snapped into a slot in a beam or foundationmember of concrete or other construction material.

Referring now to the drawings, in which an exemplary structure isillustrated, FIGURE 1 illustrates a connecting joint 20 between a firststructural member 30 and a second structural member 28. The firststructural member 30 has a continuous spline 64 which extends for thelength of the edge surface which abuts structural member 28 and may, forexample, extend 4 or 8 feet. Structural member 28 may have a similar orgreater length and have an upper abutting edge surface containing acontinuous slot into which spline 64 freely extends. A slotted splinereceiving seat member 26 of a suitable material is located in the slotin structural member 28 and contains an internal slot which lockinglyengages the side walls on the spline attached to structural member 30.

Floating seat assembly 22 consists, generally, of an elongated,channel-like housing 24 within which an elongated, slotted splinereceiving seat member 26 is mounted for limited side-to-side movement tofacilitate assembly of the structural member 28 in which the floatingseat assembly 22 is incorporated with a structural member 30 equippedwith a spline type connector 32 which is also disclosed in my copendingapplication 174,555, filed Feb. 20, 1962, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

The channel-like configuration of housing 24 is provided by a pair ofspaced side walls 34 and 36 connected by a transversely extending rearor end wall 38. A pair of elongated flanges 42 and 44 are formed on theedges of housing side walls 34 and 36 opposite rear wall 38 to retainseat member 26 in the housing. Housing side walls 34 and 36 form acuteangles with housing rear wall 38 and obtuse angles with flanges 42 and44, providing a tapered or trapezoidal cross-sectional configuration.This configuration is eifective to retain housing 24 in structuralmember 28 which may conveniently be of concrete (FIG- URE 1), plastic(FIGURE 2), or similar castable material cast around the housing.Housing 24 may be extruded. or formed by a bending or similar processfrom any metal, alloy or of a plastic material which will provide asubstantially rigid housing.

Seat member 26 is an elongated member provided with a substantiallyrectangular inwardly directed slot 46 opening into its exterior surface48. Seat member 26 may be formed of either rigid or resilient material,depending upon the connector with which it is employed, and may beprovided with two longitudinally extending, laterally directed wallportions or flaps 52 and 54 which are displaced into engagement withslot side walls 56 and 58 by insertion of connector 32. Mating,tooth-like projections 60 and 62 formed on connector side walls 66 and68 and on side wall portions 52 and 54 of seat member 26 interengage,providing a connection which resists displacement of connector 32 fromthe seat member slot. Serrations 70, formed on the opposite sides ofdeformable wall portions 52 and S4 and on the slot side walls 56 and 58,resist movement of the deformable wall portions relative to the slotside walls.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the floating seat assembly of FIGURE 1 with theseat member 26 displaced from its neutral or centered position. As maybe seen from this figure, housing 24 permits substantial movement ofseat member 26 and thereby accommodates significant misalignment ofstructural components as well as thermal expansion and contraction ofthe magnitudes likely to be encountered in the types of buildingconstructions with which the floating seat assembly is intended to beemployed, but yet provides an adequate anchor for holding structuralmembers 28 and together.

FIGURE 3 illustrates an embodiment of the floating seat assembly of thepresent invention indicated generally by reference character 76. Thisassembly consists of a seat member 77 which, in all its significantaspects, is identical to the seat member 26 described above, and whichis mounted for limited side-to-side movement in a recess 78 formed inthe structural member 88 and opening onto the edge surface 82 thereof.This seat assembly may be advantageously employed in poured concrete orsimilar cast-type construction since it eliminates the channel-likehousing 24 and thereby provides an extremely simple joint constructionwhich may be used for support ing a vertical wall on a concrete footing.Seat member 77 of the floating seat assembly may be readily assembled tostructural member 80 by inserting it into the open recess 78 in adirection normal to its length and to its direction of side-to-sidemovement and indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 3.

As is illustrated further in FIGURE 3, floating seat assembly 76 may beemployed with a spline connector 81 of the type disclosed in mycopending application 837,495 to join a panel 82 of the type disclosedin my copending application 164,043 to structural member 80. Toaccommodate even greater misalignment, thermal expansion andcontraction, a floating seat assembly may be substituted for the paneledge-frame 83 in the illustrated joint connection. It will be understoodthat the illustrated joint connection is merely exemplary and thatposts, beams, or other panels, to mention only a few, may be substitutedfor panel 82 or structural member 80, or both. Wedge shaped blocks (notshown) may be driven between recess walls 78 and seat member 76 toposition seat member 7 6 in a desired location.

In the housing embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, the housingside walls 34 and 36 are, as discussed above, formed at acute angles torear wall 38 to provide a tapered housing configuration which retainshousing 24 in structural member 28. Alternate methods of accomplishingthis same objective are illustrated in FIGURES 46. As is shown in FIGURE4, longitudinally extending ribs 84 may be formed on the exteriorsurfaces of the housing side walls 34 and 36. Or, as is shown in FIG-URE 5, longitudinally extending tooth-like projections 86 may be formedin the housing side walls. This embodiment is particularly useful withwooden structural members since the projections 86 will grip and biteinto the side walls of the recess in which the housing is fitted, Theembodiment of FIGURE 6 shows projections 88 on the exterior of asubstantially rectangular housing cast into concrete.

FIGURE 7 illustrates a further embodiment 90 of floating seat assembly.This embodiment, like the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 3, dispenseswith the channelshaped housing 24 and therefore involves one less part.Floating seat assembly 90 consists of a trapezoidally sectioned,elongated seat member 92 mounted for limited movement in a directionnormal to its length in a cooperating trapezoidally sectioned recess 94formed in structural member 96. A longitudinally extending slot 98 isformed in seat member 92 to receive a spline connector which may be anintegral part of the mating structural member as shown in FIGURE l andas a separate part, as shown in FIGURE 3. Tooth-like projections shownin FIG- URE 7 formed on the slot side walls are intended to cooperatewith similar tooth-like projections formed on the spline connector toprovide locking engagement between the spline connector and the seatmember.

The seat memberreceiving recess 94 formed in structural member 96 issubstantially wider than seat member 92, allowing limited side-to-sidemovement of seat member 92 in recess 94 in a direction normal to itslength to accommodate misalignment as well as expansion and contractionof a further structural member (not shown) assembled to structuralmember 96. Seat member 92 may also move upwardly in the recess 94 to aposition shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 7, but not completely out ofthe recess, Movement in the latter direction is limited by theengagement of the recess side walls 102 and 10 with the seat member sidesurfaces 166 and 108.

Floating seat assemblies constructed in accordance with the principlesof the present invention may employ a wide variety of seat membersincluding that illustrated in FIG- URE 8, which has a spline receivingseat member 110.

Referring now to FIGURE 9, the floating seat may be mounted in anoverhead beam 200 or in the ceiling which serves as a floor in amulti-story building. The other structural member may be a non-loadbearing partition 202. The elongated edge surfaces 284 and 206 are inclose face-to-face relationship. The spline 288 may fit in slot 210 ofstructural member 202 and extend into the floating seat subassembly 212described below.

In structural member 200, a channel-like housing 214 having flanges 216and 218 may be provided which is similar to housing 24 in the embodimentof FIGURE 6. A spline seat retaining member 224 has a central U- shapedcross section and spaced flanges 222 and 224 which straddle flange 16,and spaced flanges 226 and 228 which straddle flange 218. Flanges 224and 228 may be provided with depending legs 230 and 232 which extendover the opposite sides of structural member 202. A space between edgesurface 204 and the lower surface 224 may be provided.

Spline seat retaining member 220 has in its interior the seat member 234which is preferably provided with projections that lockingly engage withmating projections on spline 208. Resilient compression members, such asa plurality of spaced coil springs 236 are provided along the length ofthe joint to allow seat member 234 to be urged upwardly in spline seatretaining member 220. Referring now to FIGURE 10, structural member 26.215 illustrated as being shifted or displaced laterally in the directionof arrow 238 and upwardly in the direction of arrow 240. Suchdisplacements not only accommodate contractions and expansions, but alsoreduce tolerance requirements for the components in the system.

FIGURE 11 shows another floating seat assembly which is similar to theembodiment described in connection with FIGURES 9 and 10, excepting theentire seat including the channel-like member 250 may be combined as asubassembly and then inserted in slot 252 by movement in the directionof arrows 254. Slot side walls 256 may be formed with projections 258which engage projections 260 on the walls of member 250. The walls ofmemher 250 are resilient and capable of being compressed toward eachother during assembly to a position as illustrated in dotted lines. Onceassembled, the embodiment of FIGURE 11 provides a seat member 262 whichis capable of limited movement in a plane perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the joint.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A connecting joint for a multi-component building comprising:

(a) a pair of structural members having elongated edge surfaces in closeface-to-face relationship;

(b) a spline connector means comparatively rigidly fixed to one of saidmembers and extending substantially the entire length of said abuttingedge surfaces;

(c) an elongated slot having substantially parallel wall edges at saidedge surface of the other of said members, the distance between the slotwall edges being less than the width of the abutting edge surface ofsaid one member;

(d) said spline connector means extending from said one member into theelongated slot of said other member and having substantially parallel,flat wall surfaces that are spaced apart a distance smaller than thedistance between said slot Wall edges;

(e) a seat member located in the slot of said other member and having aslot with substantially parallel walls spaced apart and constructed tolockingly engage a portion of the spline connector means extending intothe elongated slot of said other member; and

(f) means for mounting said seat member for limited movement relative tosaid other member in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axisof said elongated slot to reduce tolerance requirements for thecomponents in the system.

2. The connecting joint as defined in claim 1 wherein the splineconnector means is an integral part of the edge surface of said onemember, and the seat member is mounted for limited movement in adirection laterally or" said longitudinal axis.

3. The connecting joint as defined in claim 1 wherein the splineconnector means is a part separate from each of said structural members;the edge surface of said one member contains a slot substantiallyidentical to the slot in said seat member; a portion of the splineconnector is locliingly engaged also in the slot in one member; and theseat member is mounted for limited movement in a direction laterally ofsaid axis.

4. The connecting joint as defined in claim 1 wherein said otherstructural member is a horizontal concrete body, said elongated slot ishorizontally disposed and said one member is a vertical wall.

5. The connecting joint as defined in claim 4 wherein the side walls ofthe elongated slot in said other member are vertical.

6. The connecting joint as defined in claim 4 wherein the side walls ofthe elongated slot in said other member slope upwardly and toward eachother to partially enclose the top of and prevent vertical removal ofsaid seat member from said slot.

7. The connecting joint as defined in claim 4 wherein said elongatedslot is defined by a channel-like housing of rigid material differentfrom cement and the seat member is positioned inside said metal housing.

8. The connecting joint as defined in claim 7 wherein said rigid housinghas a cross section in the shape of a trapezoid with a slot extendingthe length thereof in the topside or" said trapezoid forming saidelongated slot in said other member.

9. The connecting joint as defined in claim 7 wherein said ri id housinghas a cross section in the shape substantially of a rectangle with aslot extending the length thereof in the top side of said rectangleforming said elongated slot in said other member, and projectionsextending outwardly from the housing walls for securing the housing insaid concrete member.

10. The connecting joint as defined in claim 1 wherein the seat memberis supported for limited movement in two directions lying in a planethat is perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.

11. The connecting joint as defined in claim 10 wherein said seat membermounting means comprises a subassembly including a channel-like housingsecured in the slot of said other member, a spline seat retaining memberlocated in said channel-like housing, flange means on said channel-likehousing for maintaining said spline seat retaining member in saidhousing for limited movement in a direction laterally of saidlongitudinal axis, resilient compression members normally urging saidspline seat retaining member against said flange means and compressibleto provide limited movement in a direction perpendicular to thedirection of both said lateral movement and said longitudinal axis, andmeans mounting said seat member to said spline seat retaining member.

12. The connecting joint as defined in claim 11 wherein saidchannel-like housing has resilient walls which are resilientlycompressible and said other member has projections on side Wall surfacesfor lockingly engaging said channel-like housing.

13. The connecting joint as defined in claim 11 wherein said resilientcompression members comprise a plurality of coil spring means spacedalong the length of said seat member.

14. The connecting joint as defined in claim 1 wherein said elongatedslot is defined by a channel-like housing of rigid material differentfrom the material forming said other structural member having in itsside that opens onto said edge surface a slot extending the lengththereof to form said elongated slot, and projections extending outwardlyfrom said housing walls for securing the housing in said otherstructural member.

References fitted UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,079,862 11/1913 Kinnear 52-5731,723,306 8/1929 Sipe 52-586 1,723,307 8/1929 Sipe 52-586 1,972,47010/1934 Mclnerney 52-573 2,032,344 3/1936 Barrows et al 52-573 2,035,4763/1936 Herwood 52-216 X 2,105,588 1/1938 Davis 52-573 2,142,305 1/1939Davis 52-601 2,362,252 11/ 1944 Ellinwood 287-2092 3,018,525 1/1962Deisenroth 49-441 3,061,895 11/1962 Kleinhans 52-400 FRANK L. ABBOTT,Primary Examiner.

JAMES L. RIDGILL, Examiner.

1. A CONNECTING JOINT FOR A MULTI-COMPONENT BUILDING COMPRISING: (A) APAIR OF STRUCTURAL MEMBERS HAVING ELONGATED EDGE SURFACES IN CLOSEFACE-TO-FACE RELATIONSHIP; (B) A SPLINE CONNECTOR MEANS COMPARATIVELYRIGIDLY FIXED TO ONE OF SAID MEMBERS AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THEENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID ABUTTING EDGE SURFACES; (C) AN ELONGATED SLOTHAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WALL EDGES AT SAID EDGE SURFACE OF THEOTHER OF SAID MEMBERS, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SLOT WALL EDGES BEINGLESS THAN THE WIDTH OF THE ABUTTING EDGE SURFACE OF SAID ONE MEMBER; (D)SAID SPLINE CONNECTOR MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID ONE MEMBER INTO THEELONGATED SLOT OF SAID OTHER MEMBER AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL,FLAT WALL SURFACES THAT ARE SPACED APART A DISTANCE SMALLER THAN THEDISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SLOT WALL EDGES; (E) A SEAT MEMBER LOCATED IN THESLOT OF SAID OTHER MEMBER AND HAVING A SLOT WITH SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLELWALLS SPACED APART AND CONSTRUCTED TO LOCKINGLY ENGAGE A PORTION OF THESPLINE CONNECTOR MEANS EXTENDING INTO THE ELONGATED SLOT OF SAID OTHERMEMBER; AND (F) MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID SEAT MEMBER FOR LIMITED MOVEMENTRELATIVE TO SAID OTHER MEMBER IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO THELONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID ELONGATED SLOT TO REDUCE TOLERANCEREQUIREMENTS FOR THE COMPONENTS IN THE SYSTEM.